Massive fire-assault across LoC

DG ISPR said that Indian terrorism against innocent citizens shall be responded befittingly

On Sunday, three civilians were wounded when Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing across the LoC.

Indian soldiers targeted a school van along the Line of Control (LoC) and martyred its driver in the Battal sector on Thursday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The students started screaming as there was no one present after which local residents came to their assistance. "People gathered there after a long time", she added. "A brief firing exchange took place between the troops and the terrorists".

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has strongly condemned targeting of the school van by Indian forces across the Line of Control.

In 2018, Indian forces carried out more than 150 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary, resulting in the death of nine innocent civilians, while injuring 40 others. India has already lost 16 soldiers, apart from BSF personnel and civilians, in over 280 ceasefire-fire violations (CFVs) and terror incidents in J&K this year.

Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement and investigate the repeated incidents of ceasefire violations, the statement said.

The fire assault comes almost 10 days after Vice Chief Lt Gen Sarath Chand said that the army would give a "befitting reply" to the unprovoked ceasefire violations that killed Captain Kapil Kundu and three other soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on February 5.